Anton Glider
Something new on the snow
About Anton
The
Anton Glider was created by Anton Wilson, inventor of the Anton/Bauer
battery -- the standard rechargeable battery for professional video cameras.
Dissastified with conventional shaped skis, Anton wanted something that
would carve and swoop like an ice skate, on any kind of snow.
The result, after seven years of design and testing, is the Glider.
Engineering
The Ikegami HL-79 was the first one-piece self-powered broadcast ENG
camera in the world. It came standard from the factory in Japan with the
Anton/Bauer patented quick-change battery system as original equipment.
More than a quarter century later, the Anton/Bauer battery system is still
the power standard for the majority of broadcasters and video professionals
around the world.
The latest Panavision High Definition Video cameras aimed at Hollywood
production come standard with the latest Anton/Bauer system.
Anton designed the Anton/Bauer Ultralight, a tiny camera mounted shadow
fill light powered by the on-board camera battery. In the era when virtually
all portable video operations commonly used 250 watt “sun gun”
lights, Anton introduced and promoted the style of using only 25 watts
from the camera, which perfectly blends with the ambient light of 95+%
of common interior locations. The former practice produced the all to
familiar “interrogation spotlight-in-your-face” look (with
a dark background), while Anton’s Ultralight produced a professional,
studio-quality, and natural look. (Zen message: Don’t fight or try
to overpower the situation; use the situation to the best advantage and
just add what’s missing). Anton thus changed the way the whole world
shoots portable video. Sony licensed the Anton/Bauer Power Tap connector
for their Broadcast video cameras so that they could accept the Anton/Bauer
Ultralight. All Panasonic, and many other cameras, come from their respective
manufacturers with an integral Power-Tap connector. Virtually all Broadcasters
and video professional now commonly use the Ultralight (or a similar knock-off).
Anton devised a microprocessor system that can accurately determine the
energy remaining in a battery and then transfer this data into a video
camera to be displayed to the cameraman in the viewfinder. The entire
professional video industry standardized on Anton’s system and video
cameras from SONY, Panasonic, Ikegami, Phillips, Bosch, etc all adopted
the licensed Anton/Bauer protocol into their cameras.
This microprocessor system was so advanced and effective that Apple computer
licensed the technology for their laptops.
Likewise, Baxter Medical chose Anton/Bauer to design and manufacture the
battery system for their implantable heart pump. (Talk about your Energizer
Bunny).